Tomato season is still going strong here in the Pacific Northwest. Summer arrived late this year and the warm days we got came in mid-September so tomatoes were latecomers to the farmers’ market. I’ve served them hot and cold, cooked and au natural for almost every meal the past few weeks but I have my favorites I keep going back to that I never get tired of. Do you blame me? Who doesn’t love vine ripened, luscious slices of heirloom tomatoes sandwiched between thick slices of crusty bread and topped with crispy bacon and fresh lettuce? I love it, big time, and hate to think how many of these fantastic sammies I’ve put away in the past weeks. As I was standing in line in the Farmers’ Market on Saturday waiting to buy my weekly como loaf from Grand Central Bakery it dawned on me that I could still have all the wonderful flavors of my favorite sandwich and cut back a little bit on the calorie count if I left the bread out and made a salad instead. Now that I think of it I probably just traded calories but I am enjoying my salad version of the classic BLT and the tanginess of the Blue Cheese Dressing is scrumptious with the bacon, lettuce and tomato.
My dressing recipe is available everywhere on the internet and I think I first saw it in one of Ina’s cookbooks. You can change it up to suit your own taste. If I have fresh tarragon I will use that, sometimes I add more cracked pepper, a little lemon juice, chives, you get the idea. It’s a delicious dip for fresh veggies, but be careful, a pint of it can disappear pretty darn fast.
- 4 ounces good Roquefort cheese, crumbled
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup heavy cream or sour cream (buttermilk if you are counting calories)*
- 2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process to desired consistency. I like to leave some little chunks of cheese in the dressing.
I will be so sorry to see tomato season come to an end. Hothouse varieties are OK and get us through the winter, but there is nothing like the homegrown, ripe off the vine varieties that are available now. Strawberries are the same way, to-die-for during their season but hardly edible the rest of the year when they are imported from the hinterlands. Enjoy them while we have them.
Heirloom Tomatoes
This looks simply delicious!
Mary x
Mary recently posted..Butternut Squash and Apple Soup and "What Makes a Great Cook?"
I really like a salad of just a lettuce wedge and dressing, but I’ll really like adding bacon and tomato to it – nice idea Cathy – with three Kathy friends and relatives, I have to re-type your C almost every time 🙂
This is an all time favorite of mine. It shall always remind me of my Dad!!
I did this Cathy! Made a nice big BLT salad, so good! Our tomatoes are just about done now, enjoy the rest of the season:@)
Dressing with blue cheese on all these crisp and tasty salad..endless joy;)
This salad dressing definitely sounds delicious with the cheese dressing, although I would substitute with other type of cheese, I have not acquired the taste for blue cheese yet:P Gorgeous heirlooms indeed, I have not seen this variety here, sad to say.
Jeannie recently posted..Sambal Petai Ikan Bilis & Fried Chicken with Sweet Sour Sauce
Has to be my all-time favorite salad! I just love a wedge, yours looks amazing.
Carol @ There’s Always Thyme to Cook recently posted..Whole Wheat Pasta
One of my favorite things! This looks delicious!
Linda recently posted..Jewish Pennicillin….and other stories
Cathy, I love wedge salad, but mine don’t look as good as yours! OUr tomatoes are done, but by looking at your tomato image… you have so many beauties to choose from! I have a question to ask you and can’t find an e-mail address on your site. Could you e-mail me so I can ask you a very important question.
Thanks so much!
Yvonne
I once made a vow never to eat any but the best homegrown tomatoes! It lasted all through summer – but I missed them too much to give up altogether when they were no longe in season. But looking forward to the first tomatoes of the new season downunder!!
Red Nomad OZ recently posted..Aussie Icons #5 – Tree of Knowledge, Barcaldine, Queensland
Those tomatoes make me want to grab a salt shaker!
Beautiful salad. I always just chunk ours on a plate.
Ramona recently posted..Round is okay
Love the photo of those tomatoes! Sadly, our tomatoes were not successful this year. That, and the amount of rain we got, made for a not-so-great tomato crop.
Chris and Amy recently posted..Ji Zhen (Golden Needle) Tea
GREAT recipe idea and super photos too……..such a great idea for times when you want a BLT but healthier!
Karen
Karen @ Lavender and Lovage recently posted..Book Review: Leon ~ Baking & Puddings Book 3. Hannah’s Banana Bread
I love homemade bleu cheese dressing, but my gardener doesn’t care for it, so when I make it I have to eat it all. Wait… that’s not a bad thing, is it? 🙂 The wedge salad looks so inviting. I’ll be sorry to see our garden tomatoes go too.
Karen recently posted..Bacon Hash and Broiled Eggs
I have all the ingredients and making this for supper; thank you so much. I have no doubt it will be a 5 star.
Rita
My very favorite salad – I sure wish I had this for lunch! The tomatoes look beautiful and delicious.
Pam recently posted..Creamy Chicken, Potato, and Veggie Soup AND GIVEAWAY WINNER!
Oh my heck! This looks absolutely wonderful!!! I love all the fresh tomatoes and can’t seem to get my fill of them at all!
Erin @ Making Memories recently posted..Monster Mouths for Dinner
This is one of my favorite salads. Same here in Colorado, I’m bringing in about 6 – 7 tomates per day from my plants. I’m in tomato heaven here. 🙂
Lea Ann recently posted..Orange-Chile Brownies, My Best Brownies Ever
So excited to have this recipe. One of my very favorite things. Thanks for stopping by today. I love your blog. Have a great week. Mona
Mona Thompson recently posted..Sunday Supper …Pasta Bolognese
That looks so creamy and delicious. The pics of all those tomatoes are beautiful.
I don’t eat tomatoes! I know! I just don’t like them at all, but I love how they look. My favorite lunch, tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. 🙂
Wedges salads, at a restaurant, costs a fortune. I’ve been craving a salad like this, for weeks. This is the push I needed. You mentioned Ina, and my ears perked up. I love tarragon, and have lots of it growing in my backyard. Bookmarked!
Foodiewife recently posted..Crunchy Oven-Fried Fish and the Fairy Hobmother could visit you!
I am absolutely starving now. I guess I’ll go forage for food. This looks delicious, Cathy! Thanks for sharing it with us.
XO,
Sheila
that looks swimmingly good, i got that same pile of heirlooms to enjoy too!
onceinabluemoon recently posted..fall at the beach…
Hands down, this was my father’s favorite! Men seem to really love this salad. He liked a hard boiled egg in with that dressing, or on top with the bacon. 🙂
Super photos, Cathy!
Barbara recently posted..Kim Boyce’s Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
I used to order this all the time @ Bob’s Big Boy in S. CA. Yours looks better than theirs ever did! You are great with your camera, Cathy. Thanks too for sharing your dressing recipe. I look forward to sharing it with all my kids on a Fall apple salad.
renee recently posted..Apples, Cheese & a Little Squeeze
Oh, those tomatoes are so beautiful! And this salad…yum, one of my favorite combos in great form 😉
Heather @girlichef recently posted..Tostadas con Pollo en Escabeche {"Pickled" Chicken Tostadas}
Oh wow! Now that is what I call a salad! I love the flavor combo and the dressing sounds incredible. It is the same here; certain foods are great in season but no so great out of season, mostly fruits, though available all winter. I am missing my garden tomatoes:)
Raina recently posted..Chicken Marsala
Love, love this salad!!! Absolutely marvelous!!! Thank goodness we can get sweet grape tomatoes all year round~
Liz recently posted..Carrot Soufflé~
Blue cheese is my favorite! I love its salty pungant taste.
I made your onion and potato tart yesterday, Cathy.I saw the link to your recipe on Pinterest, and had to try it. It was delicious!
Pat recently posted..The New WTC Progress and "Occupy Wall Street" Protest
My goodness, blue cheese dressing! I bet I’m going to love it. Thanks for sharing the recipe, Cathy.
Hope you’re having a great week ahead.
Blessings,
Kristy
kristy recently posted..Bun @ Vietnamese Vermicelli Cold Salad
You’re making my tummy growl! This was one of my favorites at Newport Grill. They closed down within the last few months, so I need to make my own damn salad now. They also had the best coconut prawn with the most amazing dipping sauce. Oh my, I need to go get lunch!
Mmmm – I don’t know what it is about a big chunk of iceberg lettuce but there is nothing like it – especially with some blue cheese dressing and bacon drizzled over top. This sounds great!
Becki’s Whole Life recently posted..Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal with Biscoff Spread Topping
oh, a touch of tarragon in the dressing – how wonderful! I just made my own wedge salads this summer too, but need to use up the last tomatoes and you have inspired me. I want to try this yummy dressing, will definitely take it over the top. Gorgeous photos too.
Jacqueline recently posted..Witches Sweets and Treats Table
Lucky you. Our tomatoes are almost gone. Great salad Cathy. I haven’t had a wedge salad in ages. What goes around comes around and looks brand new again.
Sam
Sam @ My Carolina Kitchen recently posted..Bruschetta with Sautéed Sweet Peppers and Creamy Gorgonzola
I will be so sorry when garden-fresh tomatoes are no longer available here too. The plants in my garden are starting to shut down already, although the cherry tomato plant is still growing strong.
I’m so happy that the old, wedge-o-lettuce salad has come back into vogue! This dressing sounds fantastic.
Susan recently posted..Seared Halibut with Garden Tomato-Caper Sauce
My mom use to make a wedge salad when I was growing up, but made more of a french style dressing. This sounds and looks amazing. Now I am hungry.
Marilyn recently posted..People of Tea
Cathy,
I realize that my comment is being made in 2013 for your 2011 post, but this is truly one of the most classic and delicious of all salads and I never hesitate to order it when in a restaurant. I want to make your version of the wedge salad at home and know that it will continually bring smiles to my face!
Ciao,
Roz
Mmmm… I have a head of iceburg in my fridge to use up – this looks perfect to go with steaks on the the menu this coming week. You are so right about in season fresh tomatoes – they are just amazing. I can eat them every day when they’re from the garden…
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